Salamander
Fire Walking

Well, first off Dr. Liver gave me a scolding for not coming in sooner. When I told him that I was trying to time the paracentesis so that I could get my monthly bloodwork drawn at the same time and not miss any extra time at work, he made a huge deal of telling me that it doesn't work that way. He then went into some nasty scenarios about the kinds of organ damage I can do if I don't get the fluid from my abdoment drained often enough. He made his point.

Even if he hadn't made his point, the quantity of fluid they drained out of me would have, all on its own. I should have entered the hospital short procedure unit with a sign on my back that said "CAUTION!: Contents Under Pressure". I set myself a new all-time record ... 8.125 liters. At approximately a kilogram/liter, with a conversion factor of 2.2, that means that I lost just under eighteen pounds in my hour's session. I had to check it out when I got home, of course. There is something very cool about seeing a number that low on my bathroom scale (although I definitely do not recommend the weight loss program I'm following).

One of my doctor's patients got his new liver Christmas Eve. He only spent seven days in the hospital after that, and was home just in time for New Year's. Such a terrible Christmas for one family, and such a wonderful one for another family. I can only hope that the family who lost a loved one felt some sort of solace in the fact that their gift meant someone else would live.

I'm now experiencing some muscle spasms because of the sudden release of distention. Dr. Liver warned me I would feel pretty lousy for two or three days. That means I'm going to feel fine for the weekend though! And I am looking forward to this weekend.

And now I think I'll go lie down for a bit.